This invention relates generally to the processing and/or chemical conversion of gases, vapors, aerosols, and suspended particulates using electron beams. These terms are used interchangeably herein and it should therefore be understood that if the word gas is used in the specification or the claims, it is intended to mean gas or gases, vapor or vapors, aerosol or aerosols and suspended particulates. In particular, this invention relates to a transportable system for the conversion of toxic waste, especially volatile organic compounds, to environmentally acceptable compounds or elements.
As products and by-products of industrial processes, toxic organic compounds contaminate our air, soil, and groundwater. Industrial processes continue to generate toxic organic compounds, thereby adding to the existing contamination. Toxics created by incinerators, rotary kilns and bioreactors are also major sources of contamination. Recognition of this problem has led to the development of diverse extraction, collection, and disposal methods to reverse the effects of past contamination and to reduce future contamination of the environment.
Air stripping and vacuum extraction are dispersion technologies which extract contaminants from soil and groundwater. However, venting contaminants directly to the atmosphere is environmentally undesirable. Processing of the contaminants before release or disposal is required and is addressed by this invention, as discussed below.
Carbon containment is a collection technology in which contaminants are passed through carbon (or other adsorbent) filled canisters to adsorb the contaminants. In remediation systems for removal of volatile organic compounds from soil and groundwater, contaminants may be removed from the ground or groundwater by vacuum extraction or air stripped. In effluent treatment systems typically found at refineries or chemical plants, the contaminants may be the discharge of an industrial process. In these various systems, volatile organic contaminants are adsorbed onto carbon, while the remaining portion of the extracted air, steam, or process effluent is released to the environment along with any contaminants the carbon fails to remove. Carbon canisters with adsorbed toxics pose a disposal problem of their own, which is further complicated by the transport problem to move canisters to a treatment facility. In addition, containment of the adsorbed toxics, whether kept in a single location or moved, is not universally effective, as some volatile organic compounds and other pollutants have low adsorptivity.
Incineration is a technique used to destroy contaminants through high-temperature burning. As with carbon containment systems, the vapors may come from vacuum extraction wells, air strippers, or industrial process effluent. Destruction of these contaminants by incineration is often incomplete, however, and incomplete destruction can be expected to produce (and release to the atmosphere) compounds more hazardous than the original contaminants. Furthermore, incineration is often undesirable at refineries and chemical plants because of the dangers presented by the proximity of flammable substances to the incinerator's high temperatures. Moreover, and clearly in populated areas, incineration is politically and socially undesirable.